Draft Grades from ESPN, USAToday,Sports Illustrated, & NFL Network

Five of the team's nine total picks weigh more than 290 pounds -- and the average weight of those nine players is 275 pounds.Not since 1980 had the Dolphins taken this many linemen in one draft. Even then, when they also picked up six linemen, the draft consisted of 12 rounds instead of seven, making this year's emphasis on building the lines even more notable.As a result of Saturday's first pair of selections, it's also the first time in 43 drafts that the Dolphins have taken an offensive lineman and a defensive lineman with the first two picks.

My personal opinion is Miami did exceptionally well in this years draft. Best draft in years could land 4-5 starters which is exceptional considering the average NFL draft over the last 5 years averages 2 starters per year.Perhaps the steal of the draft was landing the second rated QB on the board at #57 without having to make a trade to make it happen. Here are some draft grade & comments by ESPN, Sports Illustrateds Peter King and USA Today...

ESPNs Mel Kiper
GRADE: B-Jake Long fills a need at left tackle, and I liked Bill Parcells' selection of Clemson DE Phillip Merling with the 32nd overall pick because he's solid against the run. The pick of Chad Henne in the second round tells you Miami is not sold on John Beck; however, I'm not sold on Henne. He has accuracy issues and a long delivery and he isn't mobile. I do like his toughness and he does have some of those intangibles you look for in a quarterback. Defensive end Kendall Langford is a big body, but I thought he was somewhat of a reach after an average senior season. Shawn Murphy really came on as a guard and he could battle for a starting spot. Jalen Parmele was a workhorse at Toledo, a big running back who also has some speed. And Lionel Dotson was a good seventh-round pick who should be able to help at nose tackle.

Sports Illustrated Peter King
The five teams I liked
1. Miami.
It started before the draft. In 2006 tight end Anthony Fasano was the 53rd player picked in the draft, by Dallas. In 2007 linebacker Akin Ayodele started 14 games for Dallas. The Dolphins acquired those two players for the 100th pick in the 2008 draft, their fourth-rounder. Are either of those guys great players? No. But Bill Parcells always believes in improving every spot on the roster, 1 through 53, and this trade was part of that.

USA TODAY
Miami Dolphins: Grade B Minus
Safely tucked away OT Jake Long as first overall choice last Tuesday. Should start on the left side for many years. DE Phillip Merling slipped into second round after a weak workout and sports hernia surgery but he should fit this 3-4 scheme on the left side, more because he can play the run than for his pass-rushing. Great value here, especially if Dolphins trade Jason Taylor. QB Chad Henne will be an immediate factor. Solid, solid board.

NFL NETWORK-Vic Carucci
Miami Dolphins: Grade; VERY IMPRESSIVE!
The Dolphins wisely went with the safest No. 1 overall choice, Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long, and enhanced their chances of getting maximum immediate production by signing him well before the draft. Maybe they found their franchise quarterback in Chad Henne, a second-rounder from Michigan. Clemson defensive end Phillip Merling, their other second-round choice, looks like he'll be a solid run-stopper as long as he has no lingering problems recovering from sports-hernia surgery.

PRO FOOTBALL WEEKLY-Miami Dolphins
Jake Long joins Ron Yary (1968) and Orlando Pace (1997) as the only offensive tackles to be taken No. 1 overall. Although lacking elite athleticism, Long’s outstanding run blocking and efficient pass protecting has him looking like an OLT fixture for the next decade. Along with ORT Vernon Carey, the addition of Long gives the Dolphins an enviable pair of offensive bookends to build around. Miami was almost as needy at guard as it was at tackle, so 24-year-old Shawn Murphy and Donald Thomas will be in the mix for starting jobs in training camp, although Thomas needs to improve his lower-body strength. A hernia operation scared off teams from taking DE Phillip Merling in the first round, but Miami was glad to pluck him at No. 32. He won’t terrorize quarterbacks with blistering speed off the edge, but he should hold up nicely as a 3-4 end in Miami’s new scheme. With the selection of Chad Henne, the QB derby in Miami is shaping up as one of the NFL’s most intriguing training-camp battles. Henne’s a long shot to earn the starting gig in Week One, but he certainly will be groomed to compete soon for the top job. While not nearly as polished as Merling, Kendall Langford has the raw upside to emerge eventually as the better 3-4 end. He’s bigger than Merling and plays with the nastiness coaches love in their linemen. After shipping shifty and undersized RB Lorenzo Booker to Philadelphia, the Fins added some pop to their ground game with beefy RBs Jalen Parmele and Lex Hilliard. Too small to man the nose but not quick enough to play end, injury-prone DL Lionel Dotson will struggle finding a role in the 3-4.